WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Propane Education & Research Council has added to its popular Straight Talk video series, it was announced today. The online collection of customer testimonials lets viewers hear directly from fleets that are having success with using propane autogas. The latest video provides an update from Boston Public Schools (BPS), two years after it first purchased propane autogas buses.
“The acquisition of propane-powered buses is probably the most significant thing that has happened to any school bus operation,” said Peter Crossan, the fleet and compliance manager at BPS. “The buses have had a profound effect positively on our schoolyard, students and faculty. And our drivers love them.”
According to Crossan, the school district’s initial reason for considering propane-powered buses was to improve air quality around the district’s schools. More specifically, the district wanted to improve the tailpipe emissions for its paratransit fleet, because students in wheelchairs were directly at the level of the tailpipe exhaust.
Consequently, BPS also found that the propane buses have lowered maintenance costs, and the district is saving money due to increased uptime and reduced fuel costs compared to diesel.
In 2015, BPS bought 86 propane autogas school buses. The BPS propane bus fleet has since grown to 247, which is more than 40 percent of the school district’s total number of buses.
“Boston Public Schools boasts one of the largest school bus fleets in the northeast, and propane autogas buses have had a substantial impact from a cost-savings and emissions reduction standpoint,” said Michael Taylor, director of autogas business development for PERC. “It’s incredible validation when you have a premier school district like Boston choose propane autogas to fuel its school bus fleet.”
View the new Straight Talk video from Boston Public Schools and visit propane.com to learn more about propane autogas.
About PERC
The Propane Education & Research Council is a nonprofit organization that provides leading propane safety and training programs, and also invests in R&D of new propane-powered technologies. PERC is operated and funded by the propane industry. propane.com